The Philippines, through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), sent a note verbale to China after its Coast guard blasted water cannons on Philippine vessels near Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
In an interview with the media, President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos said DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo personally went to the Office of Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian to hand-over the note verbale, including the documented photos and videos of the incident.
“We continue to assert our sovereignty. We continue to assert our territorial rights in the face of all of these challenges and consistent with the international law and UNCLOS especially,” the President said.
Marcos said the national government may need to continue to communicate with the Chinese government, particularly with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
He added that communication is needed in order to come up to a conclusion on which country has territorial claims over the disputed sea.
The Chief Executive then expressed relief that no Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) crew were hurt during the incident.
Meanwhile, in a press briefing, DFA Spokesperson Teresita Daza confirmed that they have sent a note verbale to China and summonned the Chinese Ambassador.
She said that as of August 4, 2023, the country has filed a total of 445 diplomatic protests against the Chinese government. Thirty-five of these were sent this 2023.
“The DFA firmly ask China to direct its vessels to stop the illegal action against the Philippine vessels and stop interfering in legitimate Philippine activities,” Daza said.
The DFA spokesperson urged China to adhere to its obligations and commitments under international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention for the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 South China Sea Arbitration Ruling.
She stressed that China has “no right or legal basis to prevent” the country from exercising its sovereign rights and jurisdiction.
Ayon kay DFA Spokesperson Ambassador Teresita Daza, hanggang August 7, 2023, nakapag-file na ang Pilipinas ng 445 diplomatic protest sa China mula noong 2020 — 35 dito ang na-file ngayong taon.#SamaSamaTayoPilipino pic.twitter.com/4yPSE6e6Qf
— DZRH NEWS (@dzrhnews) August 7, 2023
“It's important for the Philippines to continually assert what is rightfully ours. The policy of this government is very clear, not one inch of our territory should be handed over to China,” Daza underlined.
The DFA spokesperson said that the foreign department will exhaust all its mechanism to forward the country’s position on the matter.
On Sunday, the PCG reported that the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) illegally blasted water cannons on PCG vessels that were on the way to deliver food, water, fuel, and other supplies to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) troops who are stationed on BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal.
But the CCG claimed that its crew only used water cannons to prevent the PCG vessels from “illegally” entering and doing “illegal activities” in the waters adjacent to Ren'ai Reef, or also known as Ayungin shoal.
